peu à peu
by alice hattercandy
Summary: Post-canon. In which Ichigo asks, and Orihime replies, "Because I love you."


**prompt. **"cause you give me something that makes me scared, alright; this could be nothing but I'm willing to give it a try," – _you give me something _as requested by **an  
warning/s. **shifting POVs, weirdness (?), fluffiness (!) (and it's long overdue, sorry **an**)**  
disclaimer. **Ichigo, Orihime & Bleach belong to KT

* * *

**peu** **  
****à****  
****peu**

* * *

**i. **It is a day before her birthday when Orihime decides that today, she will take an initiative; today, she will give it a try.

It is kind of silly, yes, maybe because there are more important things needed to be done, more important decisions to make. But Orihime, she thinks it is _time_.

It is not because Orihime is tired of waiting, oh no, she is not. She is patient and her heart is as big as the sky. She just thinks it is time for her to do something. Besides, everybody knows about her feelings, everybody but him

(which is sort of disappointing because really, he cannot be that dense, can he?).

Thus, today, she chooses to wait in the middle of the courtyard, lovely and awkward, nervous and determined.

When Ichigo emerges from the building, she is still submerged in her ocean of thoughts that she does not see him approach her with a worried scowl. Orihime looks up and sees him, but not really seeing him, for she is busy analyzing on what to do and what to say.

Ichigo, at first, is worried, and when her stare becomes longer, he starts to feel uncomfortable… because this, this is Orihime, she is Orihime – the Pretty Girl. Pretty girls don't stare at scary punks, do they?

Around them, students begin to question the odd scene. Their friends appear and join the small, scattered crowd in watching. Tatsuki is bemused; Ishida is inquisitive; Sado looks thoughtful, Kiego laments about the injustice of the world, and Mizuiro is faintly amused, still tinkering with his cellular phone. This is an interesting sight, they all think. So, they wait.

It starts to unnerve Ichigo, the way Orihime is staring at him. He does not mind when it is Orihime who looks at him, but there is something in the way she stares at him that makes him, sort of, kind of, nervous. He opens his mouth but he stops, his eyebrows arching when the girl begins to advance.

Strangely, her coming closer seems ominous.

Ichigo's frown deepens at every step Orihime takes. "Inoue, is there something –"

The distance, it is gone all of a sudden. She is _here, _the sun seems brighter – oh so much brighter. He is distracted, a small hand lifts and rests on his shoulder, _and –_

She kisses him.

…

**ii****. **The world stops, Ichigo's world stops, Orihime's world stops.

It is Orihime's first kiss and oh, that hurt – Kurosaki-kun's nose is hard. And there is… there is this weird sensation, it is so odd, but oh so pleasant. It is like someone invisible is tickling her nape, her spine and the back of her ears. The feeling settles in her stomach. It is, by far, the most beautiful feeling she has felt – better than after eating sweet potatoes with butter. His scent – that familiar scent that is wholly Ichigo, it overwhelms her.

Orihime pulls away, steps back and smiles earnestly. Her smile widens, seeing Ichigo's face, the vivid color that fills his cheeks.

"I-I-In…" The boy stammers, staggering, eyes wide, eyes wild. The blush on his face looks odd but it does not mean it does not suit him.

Ichigo opens his mouth again, tries to form words, glares, and, "I-Inoue!" Finally, a word.

"Yes, Kurosaki-kun?" Orihime says patiently, blushing timidly, unaware of surprised eyes on her, on him, on them.

"Y-You…" He stammers, and oh god, his heart, it quakes inside his chest. He feels like he is someone else and this, this fluttering, jumping heartbeat – it isn't his. With an effort, he plows to continue.

"Y-You k-k-ki… k-k –" Instead, he chokes.

"I kissed you." Orihime supplies helpfully.

Ichigo groans loudly, bright red and breathless. He walks past her, skids to an abrupt halt, spins around and startling Orihime, he takes her wrist and together, they set off hurriedly, out of the courtyard.

…

**iii. **Their pace is hurried which later slows down. Several people glance at them, curious. The street soon becomes empty, except for the birds perched on the telephone lines, except for a white stray cat scratching the back of its left black ear.

"Are you angry?" Orihime breaks the silence with her soft query. Ichigo halts and turns to her. He opens his mouth, finds his hand holding hers and freaks out. He drops her hand, muttering apologies like, he does not mean to drag her and touch her inappropriately.

Orihime receives his apologies with a smile. "It's alright. I don't mind~"

Ichigo blushes and turns away; they are now alone under a big maple tree standing on the street.

"Are you upset?"

He looks at her, very red, and glares. "Of course! You…" He pauses, unable to continue; it is _too_ embarrassing.

Orihime cocks her head to the side. "Was it really that bad?" She steps forward while Ichigo jerks and backpedals unsteadily.

"S-Stay w-where you are!" Ichigo stutters, putting a shaking hand between them.

Orihime stops. "Why are you upset?"

And why is she so calm? Ichigo is not; in fact, he is thoroughly mortified and in his embarrassment, he tells her. "T-That was my first kiss!"

Orihime laughs, endearing and soft. "That was my first kiss, too."

"H-Hey, d-don't laugh! It's… It's… You're not s-supposed to k-kiss a p-person in public!" Ichigo tries to regain a semblance of control, but his emotions, his heart, his thoughts – all of them are in chaos.

Just because of one girl – _this_ girl.

"Oh." The said girl, who can break walls and hearts with a smile, who has caused chaos and earthquakes inside his heart with one innocent kiss, blushes and rubs the back of her head. "I think you're right. I should not have kissed you with other people around. I'm sorry."

Her apology is genuine, endearing. There is a long pause. Only the soft wind touching the ground and the stalks of leaves scuffing the ground fill the space between them.

And then, Ichigo turns and faces her.

"Why?" His voice, it is strong but underneath the solid tenor, Orihime knows he is nervous and awkward, confused and in need of reassurance. "Why did you do it?"

Orihime knows the answer, so sure of it, and when she answers him, she hopes he knows it is true, it is real.

"Because I love you,"

…

**iv. **"W-What – what…" He splutters, very red. "_What!_"

Orihime stifles a laugh at his reaction.

"I'm sorry. This is embarrassing, isn't it? But I just," She frowns a little, contemplative. "I think it's about time I initiate, give myself a chance, give _this – us_ a chance. I'm, I'm scared because this could lead to _nothing _but, but I want to give it a try. Because tomorrow, we don't know what will happen, right? The future is a surprise and I want to do the things I should do, say the things I should say, because regret… Regret is harder and more painful to deal with than skinned knees and broken hearts. So, I kissed you –" Ichigo blushes hotly at this, "And it is something I want because,"

Ichigo is looking at her, with hopeful eyes and maybe a hopeful heart. And when she smiles, she hopes it will comfort him.

"Because I love you."

And Ichigo, he thinks oh he thinks this is _not_ real because she is too lovely, too kind, and she is _too much_ but she takes his hand and holds it in her small, small but strong, strong hands, oh, those hands that heal, that can bend time, and challenge gods.

"And maybe, maybe _you_ could give me a chance." She stares at his hand – the same hand she has held in his sleep many months ago. "Tomorrow, if you're free, may you please," she pauses and smiles up at him. "May you please go on a date with me?"

He looks at her, wide-eyed, looking like a child, a boy – no, no, not _the_ boy who saves the world, saves friends, saves strangers. Today, he is just a boy, standing in front of a pretty, pretty girl who asks him to give her a chance.

Slowly, his hand curls around her smaller one. He likes it, holding her hand, he realizes. "Alright," he says in an even tone, but his blushing face belies the calm of his tone, the confidence of his stance.

"Thank you so much, Kurosaki-kun!" Orihime smiles and Ichigo, again, is struck how beautiful she is – it's not even normal and fair, he thinks.

"I'll come and pick you up at four, okay?" She squeezes his hand and he squeezes back before she lets go and lifts her schoolbag from the ground. Still smiling, she turns to go, pauses in mid-spin and says, "Don't worry! I promise I will not kiss you in public again." She laughs softly, "and oh, it's my treat!" She waves a hand and runs off.

"W-wait!" He reaches out a hand, maybe to tell her to let him walk her home and she does not have to pick him up tomorrow at four, but she turns to a corner and disappears. He stares at the space she previously occupied, and he, Ichigo remembers her smile, the feel of her hands on his, her words –

_Because I love you._

He clenches his fist, the same hand she has held. Tentatively, he licks his lips. And he remembers, the kiss, spontaneous and embarrassing.

In that kiss, she has given him something. He is not sure what it is, but he knows it is something precious, something he'd never want to share with someone else. And in that kiss, he knows and he is sure that they could be something more, so much more and – _I could fall in love with her._

The thought echoes strongly – _so_ strong it scares him – inside his head, in his ears, inside his heart, leaving him breathless and his heart racing.

Oh, he could – not now, maybe not tomorrow. But he will.

He is _so _going to fall in love with her.


End file.
